


Black Velvet Sun

by EveandJohnny



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: F/M, Meichi are just so cute, post tri, pretty fluffy, though there is some angst after what happened in Bokura no Mirai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-05-08 07:02:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14688951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveandJohnny/pseuds/EveandJohnny
Summary: “Meiko must be lonely” Agumon stated.He was most likely right, Taichi thought. They all had been more than happy to continue the friendship in Tokyo but Meiko and her mum wanted to move back to Tottori. Taichi understood. Tottori meant comfort and solace, even if Meiko was probably painfully reminded of Meicoomon’s absence everywhere she went. A thought sprang to his mind.





	1. Invitations

„Taichi?“ Agumon nervously asked as he watched his partner who had been staring into oblivion for the past hour now.

The addressed one jolted back to life, his long arms grabbing hold of the ladder of his bed. “Huh? Oh, Agumon! How long have I been contemplating?”

“I don’t know but it’s been a while. What were you thinking about?”

Little pink patches spread under the tan of Taichi’s face. “Uh, oh, nothing in particular. You know, football.” He grinned.

 That was only half the truth, though. Yes, he had been thinking about whether to run for team captain or not. But the more urgent thought that pawed at his mind was if he had chosen the right field for him. Yes, he had always been the leader, the others had always (or at least most of the time) trusted his decisions. But was that enough to pass in the snake pit that were world politics? He hoped that those surges of doubt would subside as time moved and he settled into regular life in his new prep school. Now it was still new and the wounds from the fight against Ordinemon were still raw. He hadn’t spoken to anybody yet, but sometimes he still had nightmares in which earth and rubble fell onto him or he was trapped in a pneumatic tube from which he couldn’t escape. It was because of this that he had picked up Agumon from the Digital World the previous day. He knew he had to bring him back soon; despite all misery the days of the fight had been blissful as he could spent them with his beloved partner Digimon. But it wasn’t meant to be regular, it had never been.

He sighed when he thought about that and put an arm around Agumon. “I’m glad you’re here” he said with a smile.

Agumon showed him his many teeth. “Me too! But it’s also great with the other Digimon in the Digital World. We have so much fun together.” Then he hung his big head a little. “But it’s sad that Meicoomon is not with us anymore.”

When Agumon said that Taichi had to swallow. That was another reason why he sometimes still had his doubts about being a leader. From time to time you had to make a call that hurt someone but saved many and you had to decide where your loyalties lay, even if that meant to take the most important from one of your friends.

“Meiko must be lonely” Agumon stated.

He was most likely right, Taichi thought. They all had been more than happy to continue the friendship in Tokyo but Meiko and her mum wanted to move back to Tottori. Taichi understood. Tottori meant comfort and solace, even if Meiko was probably painfully reminded of Meicoomon’s absence everywhere she went. A thought sprang to his mind.

“I’ll call her” he said to Agumon’s surprise.

But his Digimon was immediately onboard. “Yes, do that!” he agreed and hopped from the bed to fetch Taichi’s phone before he could even move his legs.

Taichi stared at the display for a moment, then took a deep breath and scrolled through his numbers until he found hers. It was right above Mimi’s. He pressed the green button and held his breath when the number was dialled and it rang.

Meiko picked up after the third ring. “Mochizuki?”

“Hi, it’s Taichi!” he said and smiled.

“Oh!”, she exclaimed and went beet-red.

There was a moment of silence before he asked “How are you?”

Another second of silence endured before she replied “Uhm, good.” A little quieter she added “I think”.

But Taichi had still heard it. “You think? That doesn’t sound convincing.” He looked sternly ahead which also showed in his voice.

She coughed. “It’s fine most of the time. But sometimes when I walk through the woods I suddenly see her peeking out from under a bush” Meiko admitted in a hushed voice.

Taichi smiled clemently. “I can imagine that.”

Another stretch of silence endured but it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Taichi thought about his schedule. She needed to be cheered up, that was for sure, but he couldn’t spare some time to travel west to Tottori, even if it was just for a weekend. But maybe she could make it here.

“Meiko, do you want to come to Tokyo? I mean, just when you have time. I can’t leave, I have loads of stuff to learn but I’d surely find the time for, I don’t know, whatever you want to do.”

Meiko was caught by surprise by his proposal. She first had to let it sink in. Then she said “Sorry, Taichi, I can’t. It’s, you know, where _it_ happened.”

Taichi bit his lip but nodded to himself. “I understand. That’s okay. But whenever you want to meet just call. I’m sure we can make something work.”

“Thank you, Taichi, that means a lot” she admitted with a thick throat. “Tell the others I said hi, okay? Goodbye, Taichi.”

“I will. Bye Meiko!” he said but she had already hung up. He closed his phone and looked to Agumon.

“She cannot come, right?” he asked and patted Taichi’s hand.

He shook his head. “No, she can’t. But I hope she will someday.”

***

A week later, Taichi’s phone rang in one of the most adverse moments, namely when he was arms deep in an essay about the relations between North and South Korea. He got so startled that he knocked a pile of books on the matter straight from the table. It irritated him so much that he didn’t look on the display. He just grunted “Yagami?” into the phone as he tried to pick up the heavy volumes from the floor with one hand.

“Oh, sorry, Taichi, that I disturbed you! I will call you later again.” The caller sounded deeply regretful and embarrassed.

When he heard the voice he abandoned his books and straightened. “Meiko! Nice to hear from you. No, it’s absolutely okay. A short break will totally do me good. How can I help you?”, he assured her and cursed himself that he had snubbed her earlier.

“Oh, well, if you say so. I was wondering if your offer still stood. That I could come to visit, I mean.”

Immediately, his face brightened up. “Of course! When do you want to come?”

“Uhm, I thought about next weekend if that’s alright with you? Just if you really have time, though!”

He quickly raced through his schedule. There was a football game and he had to prepare a presentation for Tuesday but otherwise he was surprisingly free. “Next weekend’s perfect! Do you already know when you want to come?”

She inhaled sharply. “No, I haven’t, sorry!”

“No need to be. You just look up the connection and text me then. I’ll try to make it to the station but if I can’t I will send Hikari.”

“Okay. Uhm, thank you, Taichi.” She did not smile yet but she felt less stressed now.

“I’m happy to get to see you again. Until next weekend then!” He sounded much more cheery but that was no surprise.

“Yes, until then” she said quietly. When she heard his enthusiasm her lips curled into a tiny smile and it didn’t feel nearly as awkward as the first time he had called her. Then she hung up.

Taichi beamed as he shut his phone. That was working better than expected. With his spirits newly raised, he set to work again and managed to write another two long paragraphs before his phone beeped. He dropped his pen and had a look at it. Meiko had texted him that her train would arrive in Tokyo on Friday evening at around nine p.m. Well, that didn’t work for him as he had a training session before the game on Saturday but Hikari could surely help and she’d be happy to do so. He decided to first finish his essay and then tell her.

***

When Hikari came home from her painting class, Taichi welcomed her with his broad smile. He pushed a plate full of fried eggs, brown rice and kimchi towards her as she slid onto the stool opposite of him.

“Guess what?” he asked mischievously and rested his elbows on the table.

Hikari eyed him with a suspicious glance. “What?”

“Meiko’s going to visit us on Friday. But I can’t pick her up from the station because I have training” he revealed to Hikari’s pleasant surprise.

Hikari’s eyes widened. “Meiko’s gonna visit? That’s great! Of course I’m going to meet her there. Also, I will stay at Takeru’s so she can sleep in my bed.” She smiled warmly at her brother.

“You want to what?” This news didn’t exactly work to cheer him up.

“Come on, I’m a grown-up girl and it’s not that I want to visit some jock you’ve never met before. Takeru’s basically like a little brother to you.”

Taichi raised his hands in exasperation. “Exactly! You’ve known him since you’re eight.” He straightened on his stool. “Doesn’t that feel a little like incest to you?”

“Oniichan! He’s not my boyfriend! I just don’t want to have Meiko sleeping on the floor. It’s really not a big deal. You should also get used to the prospect of me bringing male friends home.” She shot him a stern look.

His anger deflated and he let his hands sink down on the table again. He inhaled deeply and said “I know, I know. But I’ve been protecting you all my life and you have to admit that you’ve been drawing a particular kind of disaster to you ever since.” He sighed. “But I guess that all your potential boyfriends will be less threatening than any Dark Ocean.” With a half grin he tried to show that he had just made a joke.

She shook her head. “Oniichan, sometimes I’m wondering what crime I committed to deserve your strange sense of humour. “ Though she smiled and finished her meal.

***

On Friday at half ten, when Taichi stood in front of their apartment door, he felt an unusual flutter in his chest. Meiko must be here by now but he hadn’t gotten a message from her that she had safely arrived. He just hoped that it didn’t mean anything bad. In the end, he took another deep breath, thrust the key into the door and turned it.

“Oniichan, is that you?” his sister called from inside.

“Yeah, I’m home” he called back, dropped his trainers and noticed with relief that a pair of unfamiliar brown slippers already stood on the mismatched rug that his mother had knitted in an attempt of seeking a new hobby. He made for the kitchen but that was, to his surprise, empty. From the corner of his eye he saw Hikari peeking up from behind the couch. He turned.

His sister beamed up at him. “You sure have taken your sweet time. But that’s not bad at all. Mei and I had a lot to catch up on, anyway.”

Taichi’s gaze flickered to the black-haired girl beside Hikari. “Hi Meiko! It’s good to see you. How was your journey?” He put an amicable hand on her shoulder under which she flinched a little, out of old habit.

Then she composed herself, remembering the cohesion and the bond she had felt during the final battle and the support after Meicoomon’s vanishing. She smiled bravely up to him. “Hello Taichi. I’m happy you invited me. It was not bad at all; there was no delay or any other disturbances.”

“That sounds like a fantastic start for our weekend together. Do you already know what you wanna do tomorrow? Except, of course, to witness my crushing success over the Nakamura High School team.“ Taichi flashed her a toothy smile.

Hikari rolled her eyes over her brother’s self-satisfaction but Meiko had to cover her little giggles behind her hand. “Oh, I surely don’t want to miss this. But I’ve never been to the Metropolitan Art Museum and I’d like to see it. Only if you wouldn’t mind, of course.” Her cheeks flushed as she avoided his gaze again. There was only so much eye contact she could hold.

Taichi smiled. “Of course I don’t mind. To be honest, I haven’t been there in ages, either. The last time was with my class. That was probably, I don’t know, five years ago? Anyway, the Met is a great idea.” He turned to Hikari. “You want to join us?”

To Taichi’s dismay, she shook her head. “No, sorry, I can’t. I promised Takeru to help pick a present for his brother.”

Taichi’s eyes went wide. He had already forgotten the fact that Hikari was spending suspiciously more and more time with Takeru. No, there was another thing he had entirely forgotten: Yamato’s birthday. “Shoot! When is his birthday again?”

Hikari looked so done with her brother right now. “Seriously? It’s on Sunday. It’s been for eighteen years now. I expected you as his best friend to know.”

Taichi covered his face with his hand. “Yeah, I should. But you know that dates and numbers are not my strong suit.” He took his hand away and looked to Meiko, and now his face lit up. “I just had the _perfect_ idea! My gift will be a surprise party for him and you’ll be the special guest!” He indicated Meiko.

She blushed again, heavier this time. “Me? Why?”

He looked smug now as he propped himself up on the backrest. “Well, he doesn’t know you’re here and he would be pleasantly surprised, as everybody else, to see you again. Plus, you can help me with the preparations.” As he talked, a plan formed in his mind. He pointed at his sister. “You, Hikari, will get Takeru on the task to lure Yamato here under pretence while we set up everything. Meiko, you surely have one or two Tottori specialities up your sleeve, don’t you? Oh, this will be fun!” He rubbed his hands.

“Erm, okay?” Meiko had already surrendered to her fate.

But Hikari was having none of it. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Taichi, you can’t just decide what people have to do. We’re not in the Digital World anymore.” It was always a bad sign when Hikari used his full name instead of the affectionate nickname.

Meiko waved and lightly patted Hikari’s hand. “No, really, it’s okay. You have done so much for me, Yamato has done so much for me and Meicoomon while Taichi was not with us. The least I can do is preparing his party.”

“But that’s not how it works for us; it’s not one life for the other. That’s not our principle” Hikari insisted.

“I know” Meiko smiled “and I admire you all so much for this. But I really want to give something back. And how hard can it be, really?”

Hikari eyed her for another second, then sighed and said “Fine, if you insist. Then I wish you good luck with Taichi at your side. I have to go now, otherwise it will be midnight until I arrive at Takeru’s.”

When she mentioned what Taichi had also nearly forgotten, he furrowed his brows. “You’re not going outside all on your own in the dark. I’ll walk you to the Takaishis.”

Hikari rolled her eyes again. “No need to. Takeru picks me up. I wonder where he’s gotten to, though.” She looked at the clock beside the telephone. “He wanted to be here ten minutes ago.”

“And you expect me to trust him with my baby sister when he can’t even be on time?” Taichi asked shocked but his eyes twinkled. Before Hikari could respond, the doorbell rang.

“See, that will be him. So no need to fret about my security. And I promise I’ll text you when I get to the Takaishis.” She got up, ruffled Taichi’s wild hair and sauntered over to the kitchen where her duffel bag lay.

Taichi wanted to follow her with a determined face but in a sudden rush of courage Meiko grabbed his wrist. He looked at her dumbfounded.  Somehow, she had read his intention of giving Takeru some not-needed advice which would have just embarrassed Hikari to the bone.

“I think she can handle it herself” Meiko said with a true smile. For a couple of seconds, none of them moved. Suddenly, Taichi became oddly overly aware of the heat of her hand on his skin and she realized that they had their first long conscious body contact since they had met. They both reddened simultaneously and withdrew their arms a little quicker than necessary.

“Taichi, did you hear me? I’m off!” Hikari called again from the open door. Relieved to find an excuse, Taichi turned away and waved. When the door closed behind her, he looked back to Meiko who was staring at the place Hikari had been sitting in, her face hiding behind her long black hair.

“So, uhm, what do we want to do now?” he asked and nervously scratched his neck.

She didn’t look at him when she said “Er, it’s been a long day for me, you know, with school and the journey here. I hope you don’t mind that I’d like to go to bed now.” She quickly glanced to him, then stood up and walked over to her duffel bag.

At length, Taichi twigged and said “Uh, the bathroom’s over there. You’ll be sleeping on the upper bed.”

She smiled shyly. “I know. Hikari already explained it to me. Thank you.” Her voice was barely a whisper. Then she disappeared in the bathroom.

Taichi buried his face in his hands. This was not at all the way he had envisioned this to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While you're waiting for Chapter 2 (I'm working on it, I promise!) why not check out the song with the same name that I've taken the title from (or the entire album from My Indigio) :)


	2. Confessions

Early in the next morning, Meiko woke up to sunrays poking through the shudders. She blinked a couple of times because she couldn’t exactly place the double sheets and first thought it was because of her bad vision. Then she remembered her journey to Tokyo until she realized that Taichi was sleeping in the bed beneath her. That made her blush, but she also smiled affectionately. As she was a person who, once awake, couldn’t go back to sleep, she decided to quietly get up and ready, and then wait in the living room for Taichi to wake up.

Cautiously, she climbed down the ladder. She couldn’t help herself, she was too curious to not peek between the rungs. Taichi was lying on his stomach, limbs sprawled and exposed while his duvet was twisted around his upper body. He had his face turned towards her and radiated calm and tranquility. She smiled again, then carefully gathered her stuff and slipped through the door. She had watched Taichi closely from under the blanket yesterday when he had come in so she knew how slow she had to open the door to not let it creak.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she had another look into the siblings’ room. Taichi was still fast asleep. So she contemplated about what to do next. She was only halfway through the book she had brought but that was supposed to last for the journey back. And switching on the TV carried the danger of waking him. So she decided to make herself of use and cook some breakfast. She leafed through the surprisingly full fridge, considering that Taichi’s parents were out for a weekend trip. But the more ingredients she could chose from the better. In the end, she settled on French toast with caramelized peaches she found in the fruit basket on the table.

In his room, Taichi popped one eye open when that seducing sweet scent wafted through the closed door. Before his brain had fully processed where it was coming from, his belly rumbled in anticipation. He opened the other eye and pushed himself up. He looked down at the impossibly curled duvet. Breathing deeply, he tried to pry it from himself but it was no use. He had to get up and entangle it while standing.

When he had finally removed his sheets, he opened the door slowly and peeked around it. Meiko stood with her back to him in front of the stove and heaped something onto a plate. The smell was even sweeter here in the living room. Barefooted, he padded over to the kitchen isle.

“Mornin'” he said and yawned.

Meiko jumped, then turned. She sucked in a sharp breath and blushed deeply when she took in how exactly Taichi stood in front of her. “Good... good morning” she replied hastily while turning away from him. It seemed safer to her to tend to the toast in the pan.

Taichi frowned. Then he looked down and realized that he stood before her in nothing but boxers. A wave of heat surged through him and he stumbled towards his room again, though not without bumping backwards against the couch first and nearly toppling over.

The door closed after him and Meiko dared to look again behind her and in recollection of this awkward encounter, she couldn’t help but giggle behind her hand.

When he came back decently covered, he sat down opposite her and watched her with calm affection as she stacked French toast and compote onto his plate. “That looks really fantastic” he praised her.

She blushed but smiled. “Thank you. It’s... it’s my Dad’s favourite dessert but I can’t make it that often for him.”

Taichi paused in burying his fork into the soaked bread. He looked at her sympathetically. “He’s hardly home, isn’t he?”

She shook her head. “No, he comes home about once a month. That’s actually why we moved to Tokyo. But that didn’t make him come home more often. He stayed in an apartment opposite the ministry because he had to be on standby because, you know, because of Meicoomon” she said and concentrated on cutting her toast in neat squares.

Taichi nodded though he couldn’t imagine how it would be to not having his father around every evening. Sometimes, when he was mad at him for one stupid reason or another, he wished he didn’t have to see him so regularly. But deep in his heart he felt that he would miss him terribly if that wasn’t case. It must be dreadful, especially if there were no grudges to hold against her father. So he took her hand.

“But I think he loves you and he would probably like to change something about the situation. The Digital Word is fickle and it has to be kept under constant surveillance. As much as it hurts for us Chosen Children” he tried to comfort her with unfamiliar insight. The recent events had changed his very core but he thought it fitting to the fact that he was slowly growing into a responsible adult.

Meiko glanced to their joined hands and again, she felt the urge to withdraw it. But his hand emitted gentle warmth and his words reverberated in her mind. She thought through them for moment, then nodded. She didn’t smile yet, but the corners of her mouth twitched. “Thank you” she whispered “I do feel he wants to be with us. But he can’t show it. He has never been on the emotional side.”

Taichi stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “But you are all the more.”

She flinched and felt called out. Now she really extracted her hand from his hold. “I’m sorry when this upsets you.”

“Wait, no! I didn’t mean it like that. Showing emotions is vital, it’s never good to bottle up how you feel.” He eyed his now clenched fist with a thoughtful glance. “I wasn’t really the type to hold back but, sometimes, the solutions I found were not the right ones. I absolutely don’t hold it against you that you showed your emotions so freely.” He smiled encouragingly to her but she wasn’t looking at him.

A long moment of uncomfortable silence endured. Taichi racked his brain how he could reverse his mistake but he couldn’t, for the love of God, come up with something fitting. In the end, it was Meiko who broke the quiet.

“If we want to be Yamato’s surprise party a success we have to make a good plan. You said something about food last night but we still need to fix what food so we know what to buy. Also, we don’t know the when, where and who. We should clear that before going to the museum.” Now she lifted her head and her expression was unreadable. She got up to clear the dishes. Before he could protest, she had taken his plate as well.

“Uhm, I’ll better go and get my wallet” he said with a frown. Internally, he scolded himself again. He truly had a knack for complicating situations.

When he came back, a jacket knotted around his hip, Meiko nervously leaned against the counter, her handbag slung over her shoulder. She looked up when he appeared in her line of view.

“I’m sorry” she said, “I know that you meant what you said in a positive way. And I appreciate your kind words.” She smiled shyly which he answered with a brighter grin.

“Don’t worry. I sometimes have to be reminded to not be so honest and choose my words more carefully. And you were absolutely right. We need a plan. I’d suggest we first go to the museum and then go shopping.”

She nodded, still smiling. “Sounds good. But we need to know what we have to buy.” With a wink, she teased him about it.

To that, he raised his eyebrow. “ _You_ have to tell me. What’s typical for Tottori? I mean, we get the usual assortment of snacks like senbai, anpan and Yamato’s favourite manju but for the main dishes I’d suggest something savoury from your area. Just to get to know it - and you - a little better.“

Meiko, of course, noticed the twitch around his curled mouth, the equivalent to her wink from earlier, when he said that he wanted to get to know her better. But she didn’t back down, not this time. “Well, you all have to like or at least tolerate fish when it comes to that. Because we cook a lot with fish. Truly a lot.”

“Mmh, Jou doesn’t like fish but otherwise we should be good. So you can make whatever you want and for Jou we’ll just prepare a big batch of ramen.” He snorted at his own joke.

Meiko sighed and shook her head. “He doesn’t have to live solely on ramen. We also have plenty of beef or veggie dishes if that’s more to his taste. Okay, so I will just write a shopping list and then we’ll head for the museum. Though speaking of Jou: where do we actually want to party and who do you want to invite? Just the Chosen Children?”

Taichi contemplated for a moment, chin propped into one hand. “Why don’t we party here? My parents are away and anyway, we wouldn’t get our hands on a suitable venue in such a short amount of time. And yeah, just the Chosen Children would be enough, though ‘just’ is a little misleading. There are four more kids in the second generation.”

Now it was Meiko’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “The second generation?”

“Has nobody mentioned them to you yet? Not even me? What slackness from our side! Yeah, three years after our first adventure three new kids were chosen, along with Hikari and Takeru again, to save the Digital World. They first had to stand against the Digimon Kaiser who turned out to be a kid just like them. When he was defeated and, well, normal it turned out that he had just been used by a darker force as a puppet. But in the end, they could manage to defeat this as well.”

“Huh” was all Meiko managed to say. That was quite a lot to work through. She _had_ always wondered why the DigiDestined seemed so experienced. Hearing about them having saved the Digital World twice at an age when all you really had to worry about is what you wanted to do tomorrow with your friends, Meiko felt even more sidelined. But she had no right to. The others had never made her an outsider, even if her beloved Digimon partner had gone on a rampage several times. They had never blamed her for it, only for withholding crucial information. She had been scared, however, just terribly scared and when she had learned that Takeru had done the same she had only felt sympathy for him, not satisfaction. When she had to think back to Meicoomon, she flinched and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

“You okay?” Taichi suddenly said right beside her face. She hadn’t noticed that he had come closer and his hand lay on her shoulder.

She put on a brave face. “Yeah, I’m good.” She thought for a moment if she should tell him. Then she decided to just face it. “I just miss her so much, you know” she whispered.

He smiled encouragingly. “I know. But I’m sure you will meet her again in the future. We always do.”

She picked up his smile and nodded. “Okay. Are we ready to go? If we don’t leave soon we won’t have much time to do all the things we have to do.”

“True.” Taichi gave her a wink and finger guns. Then he took her hand and pulled her towards the apartment door.

***

During the trip to the museum the strained atmosphere between them finally dissolved into nothing but suppressed giggles and stern looks from the museum attendants. They wondered what some of the surrealist paintings meant, admired some of the straight-forward works and in general enjoyed themselves greatly.

After that, Taichi took Meiko out to a small snack stall where they shared a plate of fries. During their lunch, Meiko introduced him to the secrets of Tottori cuisine. It indeed contained a lot of fish.

So after lunch, they headed to a supermarket and emerged back into the sun with arms full of groceries.

On their way to the subway, Meiko’s glance fell on the clock on a close by tower. “Uhm, Taichi?”

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t you have a football match this afternoon?”

Instead of an answer, Taichi cursed and dropped a net full of lemons. “Shoot! You’re right. How late is it?”

“Ten minutes to two.”

Taichi really wanted to throw his hands in the air but the brown bags demanded his full attention. “Oh God, but we can still make it. We just need to hurry.” With that, he picked up his pace. Meiko had trouble keeping up.

After the train ride that none of them could speed up, they hurried to the Yagami apartment and dumped their shopping on the kitchen table. For a moment, Taichi took it all in, hand resting in the nest that was his hair. He tried to come up with a working time management. Either, Meiko accompanied him to the match, which he had promised to her, and then they had to catch up with all the work until late into the night. Or he deposited the major work load onto Meiko, which meant she would miss the game and did something he was supposed to do.

No, he couldn’t leave it all to her. They just had to put in a nightshift after the game to finish it all in time. They had agreed on setting the party to the earlier afternoon so that Meiko could catch the last express bus to Tottori.

“Okay, we’ll just leave it here, go to the match, and then we’ll come back to make it all. Maybe we have to make some cuts on the amounts of food but it should work out just fine. Wait here for a moment, I get my bag and then we’re good to go.”

“Uhm, okay” Meiko said but by then, Taichi had already rushed to his room.

***

“For God’s sake, Yagami! Where have you been?” one of his team mates called as he came to a skittering halt on his bike. The team was complete except for him, and about to go into the changing room.

“Sorry”, he said out of breath. “I forgot time over homework.”

The first teammate wanted to reply with a snarky remark but another one shot him a reprimanding look and said “Well, you’re here now, still in time, so let’s just get going.” Taichi nodded thankfully and followed them into the changing room.

Meiko arrived when the teams were already down on the field, doing their warm-up. She had sent Taichi ahead on his bike and had taken the train herself. He had insisted on accompanying her but she had put her foot down because otherwise he wouldn’t have made it in time. Now she already saw Takeru, Hikari and Sora standing in one of the lower rows on the bleachers. She made her way up to them.

“Meiko!” Sora exclaimed and took her in a long and warm embrace.

“Hello Sora” Meiko said and smiled genuinely. She remembered all to well the many times Sora had given her emotional support, even when she had actually needed some comfort herself after her Digimon partner had reacted so repulsingly due to the reboot.

The girls looked a long moment at each other, then Meiko turned to Takeru. He flashed her his brightest smile. “Hi, Meiko, nice to see you again!”

“You too, Takeru.” Then she looked around. “Uhm, where are the others?” she asked.

“Believe it or not, Jou has to study” Takeru said with a wink.

“No way! He’s never done that before” Meiko replied, surprising everyone with an unknown degree of sarcasm. They all looked incredulously at her for a moment, then burst into ringing laughter.

“Hey, what’s so funny?” somebody called from the field.

They turned and saw Taichi, hands placed firmly on his hips. While doing so, he unconsciously pulled down his jersey, under which his pecs were showing. Meiko swallowed and was reminded of today’s morning. She was really glad that he wore more than just boxers.

“Nothing, Oniichan” Hikari called back. “Good luck to you!”

“Yeah, we have our fingers crossed!” Sora said and raised her clenched fists.

Before he could reply he was called over to the referees. He waved and jogged to the centre point.

As they still had to pick who got to start, Meiko turned back to the others. “So, where’s the rest?”

“Mimi is taking her cousin to the airport. Koushirou’s out with his parents as it’s his dad’s birthday, and my brother has a gig at a youth club” Takeru explained.

“Speaking of which: I heard that you planned a surprise party for him. Hikari told me” Sora said.

Meiko nodded.

Sora pursed her lips. “Unfortunately, he and I are going to leave for a short trip to Fuji tomorrow at around ten a.m. That’s my present for him.” She smiled at the thought but made a sympathetic face when both Hikari’s and Meiko’s expressions slipped. “But I do like the idea of a surprise party for him!” she said quickly. “So what if we don’t celebrate the night to his birthday?”

Meiko and Hikari looked at each other. “I think that’s a good idea” Hikari admitted “but I’m not sure what Oniichan is going to say about it.”

“He has to live with it, hasn’t he?” Takeru’s laconic comment was not well received.

“I’m sure we can convince him” Meiko finally said. “But then we need help. Actually, only Taichi and I wanted to prepare the party but if it’s going to happen tonight we need more support.”

“No problem at all!” Sora clapped her hands, mom-modus fully taking over now. “You have Takeru and Hikari right here. I will then text Koushirou to meet with Mimi and they can get us drinks on their way to your apartment. And if it proves necessary, I will drag Jou at his collar out of his room. When that’s all done, I’m going to steer Yamato to your apartment.”

Meiko had blushed at the force that was Sora Takenouchi. Hikari giggled. “Right, and I’ll call Miyako and Co. to make sure they’re coming as well.”

“Wonderful! I love it when-“

Sora was interrupted by a loud cheer from the bleachers around them. Over their planning, they had all but forgotten the football game going on behind them. They turned to see Taichi jogging back to the centre point, ball in hand, receiving congratulations from his teammates on the way. His friends on the bleachers cheered, albeit belated, but they were the loudest nonetheless.

***

After the game, Taichi joined them, freshly showered, at the cycle rack. When Hikari filled him in on the change of plans, he briefly looked shocked at the prospect of preparing the party in a couple of hours, but in the end, he nodded.

“Fine, as there’s no other way, we’ll just have to push through. Thanks for coordinating everything, Sora.” He smiled at her. But when his thoughts travelled to the idea of her and Yamato making a trip to Fuji, he felt a pang of long-nursed jealousy, something more like an old habit than an actual feeling. And when Meiko next to him coughed because she had swallowed her water too quickly, he was reminded that there was absolutely no need for jealousy. He really should have buried that feeling a long time ago and just be happy for his best friends.

“Now, if this is supposed to work, you better get going right away, Oniichan” Hikari said beside him and tore him out of his thoughts. “We’ll follow with the next train and join you as soon as we’re there.” She shooed him away with a gentle push against his back.

They watched him cycling away, then walked towards the station where they said goodbye to Sora who wanted to send the rest of their friends their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split Saturday into two chapters, otherwise it would have gotten way too long and I also don't want to keep you waiting ;)


	3. Preparations

When they arrived at the apartment, Taichi had already started putting out all the ingredients and had grouped them together for the respective recipes. As they poured into the kitchen, they noticed that this proved to be a little bit crowded.

Taichi frowned. “Okay, that won’t work. Hikari and” his first instinct was to group her with Takeru but he was still her a little over-protective brother. “Hikari, please cut the vegetables. Takeru, you’ll boil the rice, we need loads of it. And Meiko and I take care of the desserts. Hurry up!” He clapped his hands.

Hikari pursed her lips, not so much about Taichi’s bossy tone, but she had clearly noticed his hesitance when he wanted to pair her off. There were clearly double standards at work here because she suspected she should have been matched up with Takeru.

In the end, she sat down on the couch pouting, took up the knife and the ginger and started chopping.

While Hikari was brooding and kept stealing glances to Takeru who stood at the stove supervising the bubbling rice pots, Taichi was well aware of what he had done. Not of Hikari’s disagreement with his arrangement, of course. But that he had put himself in touching distance with Meiko. Every so often, their elbows bumped into each other and every time it was like electricity jolted through his body. He tried to not let it show that he was affected, but out of the corner of his eye he saw her blushing whenever it happened. So maybe he should let it show.

The next time their arms touched, he didn’t pull away and, surprisingly, she stayed put as well. She glanced up and caught his wink. First, her face reddened deeply to the roots but then she smiled shyly. To his surprise, she tilted her head until it rested on his shoulder. He gasped quietly. Fearing she had done something wrong, she immediately pulled it back.

In his head, he coursed himself for his incautious reaction. The next time their hands came close, he gently took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. Now it was her turn to gasp; but she didn’t resist. Tentatively, she stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. Even though she didn’t look at him he felt her smile.

Takeru beside them at the stove was oblivious to the sudden unproductivity from their side. But, alas, their moment of bliss didn’t last long. Only a couple of seconds later, the doorbell rang, louder than Taichi remembered it actually did.

“I’ll go!” Hikari piped up, dropping the carrot she was peeling, and hurried to the door. Somebody groaned under what seemed a heavy weight. “Oniichan!” Hikari yelled “Kou threatens to collapse under three six-packs of lemonade and a full backpack!”

Taichi quickly detangled his hand from Meiko’s and rushed over to the door. There he discovered a hunched Koushirou, nearly toppling over while struggling to carry the bottles. “Sheesh, Kou! Why didn’t you call?”

But Koushirou was too out of breath to answer. He just sighed relieved when Taichi finally freed him from the burden and lifted two six-packs from him and Hikari took the other. “Thank you”, he finally gasped “Hi. No, I couldn’t call you because Sora said hurry so I hurried.”

Mimi behind him, however, just carried a light purse. “Now, where’s Meimei!” she cried and stormed into the room, nearly pushing Koushirou over. “Ah, there you are! Oh, Meimei, I missed you!” she called as she embraced Meiko with a strength you would never suspect from such a fragile looking girl.

Meiko was first too stunned to speak but then she smiled warmly and hugged Mimi back. “I’ve missed you, too” she whispered. “So, so much.”

“Aw, Meimei” Mimi said softly. So they stood there for a while until Mimi felt a slight touch on her shoulder.

“Nice to see _you_ , Mimi.” Taichi said behind her with a mocking smile. “I’m really sorry to break up your reunion but we still have a lot of chores to do before Sora gets here with Yamato. As I know your artsy side, I’d like you to take over the decorating.”

Mimi clapped her hands. “Nothing easier than that! Meimei, want to help?” She had already grabbed her hand. But Taichi coughed and shot her a meaningful look. Mimi grasped it immediately. “Oh, I understand! You need her expertise here in the kitchen. My bad!”

“But the other kids should be here any minute and I’m sure Miyako’s more than willing to help” Hikari said.

“They’re coming, too? Oh, this is gonna be so much fun.” With that, Mimi grabbed the box full of decoration and marched over to the big window.

Taichi chuckled, then turned to Koushirou who still stood in the tiny hallway of the Yagami apartment. “Mimi’s sometimes like a force of nature. I didn’t even have the time to properly greet you.” He squeezed Koushirou’s shoulder and said. “It’s good that you’re here now. We still need somebody to take care of the fish if that isn’t too much of a bother.”

“Oh, of course, no problem at all.” He followed them to the kitchen where he saw Meiko now. “Hello Meiko, good that you’re here!” He lifted his hands as if to hug her, than clasped them instead as he realized what he had been about to do.

“Koushirou, nice to see you again.” She smiled, but crossed her arms in front of her chest because she didn’t really know what to do with them.

To dissolve the tension, Taichi pulled Koushirou over to the other side of the kitchen isle where several kinds of fish were peeking out from a basket. “Look, there you go. Do you know how to disassemble a mackerel without leaving bones?”

Koushirou nodded. “I may say I have mastered that” he said quietly with pursed lips.

“Perfect!” With that, Taichi went back to Meiko and their completely prepared dough. Meiko formed dumplings and Taichi filled them with red bean paste. Then he put them in several pots which Takeru had cleared as the rice had been boiled and was cooling down.

When  it was time to steam the vegetables, the bell rang again. Hikari, who was now free of duties, answered it. “Hello Miyako! Daisuke! Iori! Ken” She let the kids of the second generation into the apartment.

Daisuke gave her his flirtiest smile but she just rolled her eyes at him. His shoulders slumped a little but then his face lit up as remembered the news. “So, where’s the ominous new girl?” he called cocky.

“Daisuke!” Miyako scolded him and hit him on the back of his head.

 “Ouch, sorry! But I am really curious.” He looked around the round of familiar faces until he reached Meiko’s pale but blushed face, partly hidden behind a curtain of black hair.

When, for a while, nothing happened, Meiko dared to look up again, to discover that Daisuke had come closer but still stood a couple of feet away and embarrassedly scratched his neck. “Man, I didn’t want to scare you or anything, sorry if I did. I’m just, you know, freaking excited to meet a new DigiDestined. Were not exactly few and far between but still, our experiences are quite rare, if you know what I mean?” He gave her a crooked grin and extended a hand.

She took a deep breath and shook his hand in the end. “Nice to meet you. It was Daisuke, right? I’m Meiko.”

Now he smiled fully, 1000 Watt flashing. “Pleasure! Yep, it is.”

Before Meiko could look anywhere else, someone had thrown themselves at her. “Hi, I’m Miyako! Mimi just told me how close you are. I _would_ become jealous if I didn’t know that Mimi just shares her abundant friendship, love and support with everyone because she has so much of it!”

Meiko blinked at the girl for a moment. She took in the violet hair, the enormously round glasses and the speed the girl had been talking at and could immediately see why Mimi and her would be close. Where Meiko was shy and attracted Mimi’s sense of protection, Miyako was just as outspoken as her. Mimi and she were opposites attract while Mimi and Miyako were birds of a feather flocked together.

She looked away from Miyako’s still grinning face and caught Taichi’s amused glance. But he wasn’t so much taking fun from her - probably absolutely - confused expression, he was having it with her and, like seeing the scene through his eyes, she realized that she indeed had fun. So she gave him a small but honest smile before she turned back to Miyako and said “Wonderful to meet you, too. Yeah, Mimi has a lot of affection to share.” She glanced over to Mimi who was huddled together with Hikari and talked with her in hushed whispers.

A cough beside her demanded her attention. She turned back and saw the last two kids standing in front of her, bowing politely.

“Hello Meiko, my name is Iori” the smaller one said with a sobriety that was unusual for boys his age.

“And I am Ken” the other introduced himself just as sincerely, shaking his bluish black hair, but there was the hint of a smile in his voice.

She bowed back to them. Then somebody clapped. “As sorry as I am to interrupt: but now that the introduction ceremony is over we need to get going right away. Sora just texted and said that she sent Jou our way and will be here herself with Yamato in half an hour” Taichi said, his voice raised in a solemnly tone.

“Half an hour? Well, if you want to serve your fish still half-boned that’s your choice. Deboning fish is an art of concentration and diligence, not speed!” Koushirou cried out.

Just as Taichi wanted to say something, Takeru had smoothly slid to Koushirou’s side and put an arm around his shoulders. “Why don’t you show me how it’s done so we can split the work in half? I’m sure I’m gonna make an excellent apprentice.” He grinned.

Koushirou judged him with raised eyebrows but then he just huffed. “Fine. But you need to take your arm off my shoulder because you’ll need both your hands.”

“As you wish” Takeru replied, extracted his arm and clasped his hands in anticipation. “Now, what shall I do?”

Without looking at him again, Koushirou said “You watch. Closely.” Then he bent over the fish again and started over in his delicate work.

When that was done, Meiko took over and started with seasoning the fish with typical Tottori spices before she placed one kind of it in a steamer and breaded the other half before she fried the thin slices in a pan. Everyone except Mimi and Miyako, who were still putting up the ornaments in the entire apartment, gathered around her to watch. Koushirou even produced a notebook and pencil and took note of all the steps she went through. Had until then been just the smell of freshly cooked rice and steamed vegetables around - aromas they knew since their childhoods - there were now also completely unknown fragrances wafting through the apartment. Unknown but mesmerizing, fascinating and mouth-watering.

***

Simultaneously with Meiko putting the last slice of fish on the last rice bowl the bell rang yet a third time this evening. Taichi clapped his hands and announced in a hushed voice “Take your marks!”

Surprisingly quiet, everyone scurried to their places. Hikari, Miyako and Takeru hid behind the couch, Meiko, Koushirou, Iori and Ken took cover behind the kitchen isle and Daisuke and Mimi stepped into the siblings’ room and the bathroom respectively. When everybody was settled, Taichi nodded to himself, then strode to the door and opened. He started to greet his best friends but before he could say anything, the rest of the DigiDestined jumped from their secret places and yelled “Surprise!”

Jou stood in the door frame, looking over the welcome party with all his lanky, towering height, and blinked.  For a moment, nobody said anything; they just stared at each in astonishment. Mimi was the first to jolt to life. She darted from her spot in the sibling’s room, grabbed his wrist and tore him with her back to her hiding place. Jou couldn’t even think about resisting her until he was already out of sight.

Taichi looked around and inhaled deeply. “Everybody back in position!” he called and turned to the door. He heard a little shuffling behind them, then the apartment went silent again.

***

He stood there waiting for about ten minutes before the bell rang anew. He mentally counted the people in the apartment, just in case someone else beside Yamato and Sora was missing. But no, they were all already assembled here, so it could only be the two of them, expect for his parents who could have made an early return, but he doubted that.

So he tore open the door, arms spread wide, and this time it indeed was Yamato standing on the other side. In unison, his friends shouted “Surprise!”

Yamato, much like Jou, just blinked at the reception. Then he sighed and muttered “I knew something was off.” He looked over his shoulder to Sora who could barely hide her giggles. “And you were part of this scheme all along.”

“Of course I was. It’s a brilliant idea!” She gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Are you not a little bit happy about the welcome? Not a tiny wee? We put so much effort into it so can we expect a little respect” Taichi said and let his arms slowly sink.

Yamato’s mouth was a thin line. “Well, I didn’t ask for it” he mumbled.

“Oh come on, Yama. You’re the bearer of the crest of friendship! How can you not like to see all your friends united?” Taichi still sounded cheery but a bit of his initial excitement started to falter at the sight of Yamato’s lacking enthusiasm. “Now come in, I don’t want you two to stand in the door all night.” He led them into the apartment. “See, we even invited a special guest, just for you!” He pointed at Meiko.

She gave Yamato a shy but true smile. “Hello Yamato. I’m glad I choose to come at the weekend where you celebrated your birthday. It was a pleasure to help Taichi bringing his idea to life” she said, subtly manipulating Yamato to feel some guilt at last.

He looked a little caught and turned to Taichi. “It was your idea?” he asked incredulously as if Taichi had never done anything for him. Which was as far away from the truth as was the earth away from the sun.

Taichi shot Meiko a wink, thanking her for her support, and put an arm around Yamato’s shoulders. “Of course it was! But never mind. Come over here, where we put on a buffet of delicacies, just for you! Well, it were Meiko, Koushirou, your beloved brother and my humble self who cooked.”

“Hey! Don’t you forget someone?” Hikari piped up, her hands angrily placed on her hips.

Taichi derisively bowed to her. “Would you prefer a fish bowl, one with beef or rather meat free with the vegetables my darling sister so lovingly peeled and cut?”

“Oh stop it, Taichi, sometimes you can be a real pain in the -“ Yamato said but there was a smile playing around his lips.

Before he could say where Taichi exactly was a pain in Sora interrupted him with a stern tone. “Yamato, watch your language!”

“Sorry” he said and gave her an apologetic smile.


	4. Celebrations

After dinner, they hustled together on the couch and the armchair. Taichi had opened the balcony door and the warm summer breeze streamed in. They were talking about anything and everything. Suddenly, Yamato stopped in what he was saying and perked up his ears.

“Why isn’t there any music playing? “

The whole room went silent for a moment, then they all started begging at once “Oh Yamato, why don’t you play something for us?”

Yamato froze, immediately regretting his remark. Then he sighed relieved. “Sorry, guys, but I don’t have my guitar with me. I can just share my excellent taste of music with you in the form of my stellar playlists” he said with a grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows. Sora eyed him suspiciously; the eyebrow-wiggle was usually more a Taichi thing to do.

He got up and walked over to the stereo to connect his mp3-player to it. A soft piano started playing and Yamato settled back in his spot between Sora and Hikari.

Mimi had used the opportunity to slip between  Meiko and Taichi with the words “I know you can’t keep your hands off each other but I’m just so curious, Meimei!” That left Taichi sputtering and Meiko’s face shone like a fire drill lamp. Mimi giggled at how accurate her observation was. She made herself comfortable beside Meiko, draped her arm around her and said “Okay, Meiko, fill me in on everything since we last texted.”

Taichi got up to give Mimi his seat but he didn’t really mind because Meiko seemed quite delighted to talk to Mimi. Though she said, albeit smilingly, “But that was just two days ago, there hasn’t happened that much.”

“Oh, but there must have! You were in the company of one Taichi Yagami, time with him is never boring. Where did you even sleep? In his bed and he slept on the couch?”

Meiko went red again. “Well, uh, no. Hikari went to the Takaishi’s and I got to sleep in her bed” she admitted.

Mimi pursed her lips. “Oh, I see, you were in the same room. Very interesting.” Then she winked knowingly.

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s, uh, I don’t know what it is.” Meiko tried to defend herself but she didn’t really know what she had to defend because she didn’t really know what exactly that was between her and Taichi at the moment.

“Meimei, don’t you worry. I’ll keep my mouth shut, you know that I can.”

Meiko snorted with the corners of her lips tugged upwards, and Mimi beamed that she could make her friend smile.

Meanwhile, Taichi had gone over to Daisuke to grill him about his plans for his high school soccer career. Daisuke gestured wildly and looked suffering; he didn’t want to be reminded that high school was already starting for him this fall. Taichi patted his back. “Don’t worry pal, it’s gonna be not even half as bad as you think. You’ll have fun.”

Daisuke eyed him suspiciously. What had happened to the always teasing Taichi? Since when was he so comforting and, Daisuke gasped, albeit just in his mind, _grown-up_? But he figured that it was just a question of age, and probably the events surrounding Meiko had changed him. But, to Daisuke’s surprise, it didn’t bother him nearly as much as it would have a couple of years ago. He was probably getting old and lenient as well.

***

After a while, a rather catchy song came on, one of Hikari’s favourites, and she excitedly clapped her hands. She jumped from her place on the armrest of the armchair and looked around. Takeru was still chatting with Sora and his brother, so she turned to Ken instead. She stood before him and waited until he noticed her. “Hey Ken, do you want to dance?”

Ken looked at her a little bewildered but his hesitance didn’t let her spirits drop. And after only another second of consideration he took her outstretched hand. He let himself be pulled up and spun her around, all in the same smooth motion.

She smiled up at him. “I knew you were an excellent dancer.”

He blushed. “My mom always makes me dance with her on family occasions because my dad has two left feet.”

“Aw, too bad for your dad but good for me.” And she let herself be twirled around once more.

When Miyako saw what was going on she squealed with joy. “Oh yes, dancing!” She looked around for a suitable victim and spotted Koushirou. Before he knew what was going on he already had Miyako in his arms. To everyone’s surprise, his skills were outstanding. Miyako truly felt like a proper dancer, maybe even a bit like Yuko Kawaguchi, even though she always claimed to have the dancing abilities of a stick. Turned out she just needed some guidance.

By now, they had drawn all attention to them and more friends joined them. In fact so many that Taichi pushed the couch, the armchair, and the coffee table to the walls to make space. Yamato, the best dancer they knew of in their ranks, swayed Sora expertly. Takeru had pulled Mimi up and Jyou, even though he claimed the same as Miyako, shuffled awkwardly with Meiko to and fro, doing more talking than anything else actually.

Taichi was content with just sitting back and watching his friends, looking proud and happy. Gatherings like this had become rare as the DigiDestined pursued their futures and continuously lived their own lives. Taichi still missed the days they had all spent together but after the incident with Ordinemon it had somehow become easier to let go.

Hikari spun out of Ken’s arms over to Daisuke and extended a hand. First, Daisuke firmly shook his head. But Hikari’s pout and the sudden realization that he would probably never get this chance again made him instantly change his mind. To impress her, he unpacked his boldest moves. Taichi already feared that he would go over the top yet again and drive his sister eventually away. But Hikari just giggled and gently guided him to a less exuberant performance.

Suddenly, Taichi felt a soft tap on his back. He looked up into Meiko’s open, smiling face. “Do you not want to dance?” she asked.

Instead of an answer, he got up, took her hand and put his free hand on her hip. Now a very slow song was playing. Taichi was by no means such a good dancer like Yamato or Ken. But he did know the basics of a good waltz.

And so they danced close together, just smiling at each, nearly forgetting what was around them.

“This reminds me a bit of the old days when we were all together. Like, when we had to fight MaloMyotismon and gathered at my place or Kou’s to puzzle out our plans to save the world. This was new to us because we had to fly around the world and fight alongside other DigiDestined. I ended up in France with Takeru and their grandpa.”

“You fought with his grandpa?” Meiko was absolutely not jealous that she had missed out on the fight against MaloMyotismon. But she was thrilled hearing Taichi explain.

“Well, he doesn’t have a Digimon partner but he helped us escape. And there was this cute blonde French girl...” For that, he received a raised eyebrow from Meiko. He smiled sheepishly.

 “Anyway, I also kind of miss the evenings when we sat around the campfire in the Digital World. Then it really felt like camp, to which we had actually departed that faithful August. And when he felt a little melancholic, Yama would play his harmonica.” His eyes suddenly went wide in realization. “The harmonica!”

He left Meiko standing there, her hands still raised where they had lain on his shoulder and his back, and rushed to his room.

“What’s wrong?” Sora asked worriedly.

“I - I don’t know” Meiko said, a little dumbfounded. “He told me a bit about your earlier gatherings, and how Yamato played the harmonica at the campfire. That seemed to have given him an idea.”

“Oh no!” Yamato sounded exasperated and buried his head on Sora’s shoulder.

“What does that mean?” Meiko asked Sora who smiled gently.

“I guess he still has one.”

As if Taichi had heard her, he emerged from his room, in his triumphantly raised fist gleamed a metal box the size of a snack bar. “Tada!” he called and marched over to Yamato. “You don’t have your guitar with you but now you have this. So would you deign to entertain us with your excellent play?”

Yamato eyed the harmonica in Taichi’s hand as if it was a particularly ugly frog. Before he could respond, Takeru leapt up from the couch yelling “Ten!”

They all looked at him as if he’d gone mad; except for Hikari who quick-wittedly had checked her watch and chimed in when Takeru declared “Nine!”

Now the rest of had realized as well what this all was supposed to mean and called “Eight!”

Yamato watched, surrendering to his fate, as his friends counted down the seconds. With them yelling “Happy birthday” the clock on the sideboard struck midnight. Sora was the first to congratulate; she gave Yamato a long, passionate kiss before she whispered “Happy birthday my dear.”

Taichi came next and embraced him. “Hey Yama, thanks for always bearing with me, you’re really a great friend.”

Though Yamato liked to paint himself as the lone wolf, he had to admit he was touched by his friends showing up here, preparing the delicious food and all in all giving him such a good time. So he smiled and squeezed Taichi’s arms. “You’re right to be grateful. But I have to thank you, too, for organizing this party.”

“My pleasure, Yama. Just the best for my friends.”

Takeru shoved Taichi gently aside. “Now it’s my time, brother! Happy new turn around the sun!” He hugged him. Then he gave him a neatly packed gift. “From Hikari and me.”

“Happy Birthday” she joined in, then wrapped her arm around Takeru’s waist. The displays of affection, of course, didn’t escape Taichi but he was in a rather generous mood. His best friend was glowing, as much as Yamato could, anyway, and the rest of their friends were also happy. And Hikari was right. He knew Takeru for nearly ten years now, he certainly wasn’t the jock who would take advantage of his sister. And when push came to shove, Hikari could certainly look out for herself.

Meiko was the next to congratulate Yamato. She adjusted her glasses and said “Happy Birthday.” Then she stood a little awkwardly before Yamato, not sure if he wanted to be hugged by her or not. But Sora nudged her softly and Yamato had already raised his arms so she just took a step forward and embraced him.

And so everyone wished Yamato a happy birthday. Taichi just stood back, leaned against the wall and watched. He had brought them all here (well, Sora and Hikari had done the heralding jobs) and he loved it. Suddenly, he felt a soft touch at his side. He looked down. Meiko had wandered over to him and slightly leaned in on him, resting her head on his shoulder.

When he caught Hikari’s glance she smiled knowingly. Instead of rolling his eyes, he just smiled back and shrugged with his free shoulder. She nodded approvingly and turned back to Miyako who had helped herself to a midnight snack.

Sora clapped her hands. “That’s actually a very good idea! We eat the leftovers and then leave, albeit very, very slowly. It’s just that Yamato and I have to leave quite early tomorrow.”

“We have?” He shot her a curious look.

“Yes, we have. But it’s a surprise as to why.” She winked and pecked him on the cheek.

And so they did what Sora had suggested. They devoured the rest of their feast and chatted about anything and everything. The whole time, Meiko sat beside Taichi but mostly talked to Jyou and Koushirou, whom she hadn’t yet spoken to. But her thighs were constantly touching Taichi’s, and she had spent so much time with him in the last day that she didn’t blush anymore. His presence beside her was reassuring rather than intimidating.

***

About an hour later, Yamato and Sora got up to bid farewell. “Thanks Taichi” Yamato said again very quietly as they stood at the apartment door.

Taichi just waved. “Not for that. Have fun with your surprise!” He patted him on the back and gave Sora a light kiss on the cheek, a souvenir from France he still carried in his mind. When they had left the apartment he turned to his friends to sit back beside them, only to discover that they had lined up behind him. “You all want to go? At once?”

Jyou, who stood at the front, nodded. “Sorry, Taichi, but tomorrow, I mean today, I have to -“

“-study?” Taichi interrupted him. He wasn’t even surprised. He didn’t say it teasingly. It was just so regular.

Still, Jyou scratched his neck and went red. “Yeah.”

Instead of an answer, Taichi just hit him lightly on the back. “Don’t worry. I mean, it was great that you came at all. Don’t want to bar your future.” He smiled and stepped back so that Jyou could grab his jacket.

“And you’re okay that we all go?” Koushirou asked cautiously.

Taichi smiled sweetly. “Really Kou, it’s cool. Didn’t we just spend a really nice evening together? And it’s not that we won’t see each other in years.” He hugged Koushirou.

“Taichi, Taichi, Taichi. I hardly recognize you. You are so - mature” Mimi teased as she embraced.

He shrugged. “Can’t help it, I’m getting older.”

She rolled her eyes, then followed Koushirou, Jyou and the kids of the second generation out of the door.

Takeru and Hikari were the last to leave the apartment. “I’ll help you cleaning up when I get back, okay?” Hikari said.

“Sure, little sister.” He grinned, ruffling her hair.

“Hey!” she protested and adjusted her hair. “Okay Takeru, let’s go. He clearly isn’t as old as he claims to be.” Then she turned to Meiko. “We’ll see each other later again.” Takeru waved and then they set off to the Takaishi’s.

Now it was just Meiko and Taichi in the apartment and suddenly the air between them shifted again. Taichi nervously scratched the back of his head and said “Eh, we’ll clean that up later.”

As Meiko scrutinized him twitchingly standing here before her she had to smile. She inhaled deeply, stepped forward and raised herself on tiptoes. Before Taichi knew what was going on she had given him a peck on the cheek, and quite a long one for that matter. Then she looked at him and said “I’m gonna use the bathroom, okay?”

He only had the strength to nod. His mouth was dry and his breath hitched as he thought back. He was pulled into reality again when he heard the door of the bathroom click. Then a broad grin split up his face and he started to whistle. He spotted the harmonica on the coffee table. Well, Yamato had once again evaded playing for them. But he was zero bothered by it.


	5. Farewell (for now)

In the morning, Taichi woke up to the ring of his alarm he had extra set himself. He didn’t want his guest to make breakfast again. When he checked with her, Meiko was still peacefully sleeping. To him, she looked like a princess, lying serenely on her back with her hair draped over her shoulder in a wave. He fought the urge to wake her up with a gentle kiss on the cheek and instead opted to change in the bathroom.

Meiko opened her eyes when a high, happy tune reached her ears. She got up and discovered that Taichi was already awake. So she changed in the siblings’ room and then walked out into the living room.

“Ah, you’re awake. Good morning!” Taichi exclaimed. He handled a pan with scrambled eggs and let them slide onto two plates, then decorated them with diced tomatoes and added two slices of toast. He served her the plate with a certain momentum.

“Uhm, thank -“ Meiko started but Taichi was already back in the kitchen to pour coffee into two mugs.

She tried again when he was back. “Thank you, Taichi, it looks great!”

“And I hope it tastes great, too.” He grinned. When he sat down, he took her hand for a moment.

“Taichi, are you alright?” Meiko was confused. Taichi’s usual enthusiasm was one of the reasons she liked (maybe even loved) him. But today it felt superimposed.

“I never felt better!” Taichi replied beamingly and now Meiko noticed that he even jittery rocked to and fro on his chair.

“Okay, okay, what is going on?”

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Taichi” she sighed. “Why are you so nervous?”

He tried it one last time. “I’m not nervous.” Then his expression fell. “I’m just, I mean, it’s-“ He inhaled deeply. “You’re leaving today” he stated without looking at her.

She smiled leniently. “I know” she said gently and caressed the back of his hand. “Thank you for your invitation.” She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles.

He looked at her surprised. Then he smiled. “Whenever you want to come back you’re absolutely welcome!”

“I know. But we should eat before the eggs go entirely cold.”

“Gosh, yes!” But he didn’t extract his hand from hers until Meiko let it go and instead grabbed her mug to take a sip of coffee.

In silence, they munched on their eggs. Taichi was quiet because he didn’t want to let her go. When he realized how hard he had fallen for her he blushed.

Meiko also had to chew on her thoughts but she was mostly glad that Taichi had invited her in the first place and that they had spent such a wonderful time together. “So, what are your plans for today? After you’ve dropped me off at the bus stop?” She smiled.

Taichi needed a nudge from her before he answered; he was so lost in thought. “Uhm, uh, I have another soccer practice.”

She tilted her head. “ _Another_ practice? Does your time only consist of school and soccer practice?”

He shrugged with a crooked grin. “Kind of.”

Meiko slowly shook her head and scraped the last remains of egg from her plate. She got up to set it into the sink. Then she just stood there, contemplating. She walked back into the siblings’ room to pack her bag. A couple of minutes later, Taichi joined her there.

He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt before he restlessly crossed his arms. It was an odd sight to behold. Meiko had been nervous since they had first met and now she was calm and self-assured as if she’d never done anything else. Taichi, on the contrary, was anxious and squirmy. Then he confessed what has been bothering him since he had woken up this morning.

“I don’t want to let you go” he admitted and looked down at the floor.

Meiko stilled in storing her washbag away. She put it down and sauntered over to him. “I don’t want to go, either” she said softly and touched his bare arms. “But I will come back, I promise.”

He looked at her. “You promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die” she replied grinning.

They were interrupted by the clicking of the apartment door. “I’m home!” Hikari called.

“That’s nice!” Taichi called back and stuck his head out of the door.

“Is she still here?” Hikari asked as she set her bag on the table.

Meiko answered by opening the door fully and stepping into the living room. “Yes, I’m still here. You thought I’d leave without saying goodbye to you?”

Hikari smiled. “Of course not.” Then the two girls shared a long hug. “It was so great that you were here! Can’t wait for you to come again.”

“Me neither” Meiko agreed. Her glance fell on the clock beside the fridge. “Okay, but I really have to go now if I want to catch the train with the least changes.

“Sure! I don’t want you having a complicated journey.” She embraced her again, then let her go, grabbed her bag and padded over to the siblings’ room. Before she disappeared in it she called “Bye Meiko, come back soon!”

“I will!” Meiko called back. Then she slipped into her shoes and smiled at Taichi. “Are you ready?”

He nodded and took her bag from her and slung it over his shoulder.

“But you’re already carrying your bag! I’m not weak if you think that” Meiko protested amused.

Taichi shook his head, his hair wiggled. “Never! But you know that I’m a gentleman.”

“And I never doubted that.” By now she was comfortable enough in his presence to naturally link arms with him.

So they walked to the subway station, only to discover that there had happened an accident on the tracks and all trains were cancelled. Luckily Taichi had his bike with him - eventually, he had training afterwards - and it gave him an idea. He looked at her expectantly and grinned.

“What is it?” Meiko was confused by his eagerness.

“Are you up for an adventure?” he asked and indicated his pannier rack.

She raised an eyebrow. “You mean?”

He nodded, his smile basically splitting his face. “It’s exactly what I mean.”

Meiko giggled and climbed on it while he steadied his bike. Then he got in the saddle. Ditching cars, pedestrians, and other bikers, he threaded his way through the city. Meiko held tightly to his waist, her face sideways pressed into his back. There was a tiny bit of fear in her; especially when the bike lurched dangerously around corners her stomach squeezed and she clutched Taichi even tighter. But mostly she enjoyed the adventurous ride. Taichi smiled when he felt her grip. There was nothing to worry about, though.

Until they were only a couple of blocks away from the train station. Suddenly it started to pour, the sky literally opened its locks and they were threatened to get drenched in minutes. Taichi stopped to pull up his hood. When he turned around to check on Meiko he discovered that she was desperately trying to shield herself from the rain.

She noticed his gaze and said defensively “Sorry, I forgot my coat at home.”

Taichi reacted quick-wittedly; instead of replying he opened his training bag and pulled out a sweater. “Here, take it.”

Meiko took the blue hoodie with the orange lightning bolt and slipped it on. “Thank you” she replied but Taichi had already started pedalling again.

They reached the train station and still had a couple of minutes before Meiko’s train was supposed to leave. In no hurry, they climbed the stairs, their hands threaded together. Suddenly, they had nothing to talk about but they didn’t really mind. Their presence to each other was enough.

Up on the platform the announcement sounded that the train would be arriving shortly. Meiko turned to look at Taichi. “I want to say ‘thank you’ again for the wonderful weekend. I loved it.” She smiled as if to say that “it” might mean “you” as well.

Taichi grinned and touched her cheek, pushing the hood on her hair back.

“Oh, your sweater! Wait, I take it off.”

Before she could do so, however, Taichi shook his head. “Don’t, please. Keep it and think of me when you wear it.”

Meiko stilled for a moment and looked a little baffled at Taichi. Then she raised herself up on her toes. Their faces were only an inch apart before Meiko closed the gap between them and kissed Taichi lightly on the lips.

Taichi didn’t respond at first, but only for a split second, before he started kissing her passionately.

The kiss didn’t last long, though, because the train pulled into the station. They parted, Taichi grinning as if he wanted to eclipse the sun, and Meiko’s smile was also less shy than usually.

“I gotta go” she said but not without kissing him again.

“Text me when you get home!” Taichi called after her as she entered the train.

She looked out of the window and waved. “I will! Take care Taichi. I promise it won’t be long until we see each other again!”

The train started to move and Taichi started running, waving goodbye to Meiko and she waving back until the train left the building and the platform ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally done! I enjoyed writing this piece very much. If you did as well, leave me a kudo or even a comment to tell me what you liked ;)


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